{"id":9843,"date":"2017-08-02T00:07:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T00:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.risingtidesociety.com\/?p=9843"},"modified":"2022-12-07T07:53:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T15:53:10","slug":"sale-pitch-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbb.dev.reliablepenguin.com\/blog\/sale-pitch-mistakes","title":{"rendered":"A No\u00a0Good, Terrible Sales Pitch\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Mistakes to Avoid When Pitching Clients<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

Today, I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>m sharing the true story of how I tried to sell to someone who didn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t even want to be <\/span>coached. <\/span>In my first year of business, I made one horrible, terribl<\/span>e, no<\/span>–<\/span>good pitch that forever changed my <\/span>approach to <\/span>\u201c<\/span>selling<\/span>\u201d<\/span> my services. I beat myself up about it for a week, but as soon as I had the <\/span>chance to speak with another potential client, I quickly realized how much I had learned from <\/span>that awful attempt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bec<\/span>ause of that initial failure, I now have a process for signing clients that is more enjoyable for <\/span>both of us! Today, I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>m not afraid to move more slowly, ask more questions, and even raise the <\/span>bar of expectations for both the client and myself. <\/span>   <\/span><\/p>\n

“Failure <\/span>is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”<\/span> <\/span>~ Henry Ford
\n<\/span>
\n\"sales-pitch-mistakes-rising-tide-society\"
\nDare Greatly<\/span><\/strong>
\nI really wanted to coach a leader in my personal circles who I know and respect, so I <\/span>asked her out for coffee (mistake #1).<\/span><\/p>\n

We spoke for awhile about our respective businesses (we were each branching out on <\/span>our own around the same time), as well as our personal lives (our kids attend the <\/span>same school). I looked for natural ways to ask some insightful questions, since <\/span>question<\/span>–<\/span>as<\/span>king is my superpower as a coach (mistake #2).<\/span><\/p>\n

I was obviously not as subtle as I thought, because she finally looked me in the eye <\/span>and said, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>So, you want to coach me, right?<\/span>\u201d<\/span> I should have stopped myself right <\/span>there (mistake #3), but instead, I took that<\/span> as an invitation to make my pitch to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a bold proposal: <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Let me coach you for one year without any upfront payment. <\/span>At the end of the year, if we hit your goals, you can pay me what it was worth.<\/span>\u201d <\/span>I went on to explain why this arrangement would w<\/span>ork for us both, how deep <\/span>coaching requires vulnerability and courage from us both, and probably said a whole <\/span>host of other things about <\/span>\u201c<\/span>us both<\/span>\u201d<\/span> that I have now blocked from my mind (all part <\/span>of mistake #4).<\/span><\/p>\n

She received it all gracefully, asked to think<\/span> about it, and then very kindly turned me <\/span>down over email a week later. Truthfully, I wasn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t surprised, and she was <\/span>completely right to do so. <\/span>I felt good about that proposal, and I’d make it again, but ONLY if we had gone <\/span>through the process I now use for<\/span> bringing on a client.  <\/span>{And, for the record, we’re still friends, so she apparently is quite forgiving.}<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

\n Fail Greatly<\/span><\/strong>
\nThough I wasn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t following a script when I met with this leader, I also wasn<\/span>\u2019<\/span>t being <\/span>authentic in my approach to our conversation. In the days following our meeting, I <\/span>quickly identified 4 major mistakes that I had made.<\/span><\/p>\n